How White Wine is Made
If you have spent much time on the North Fork of Long Island or in any wine country in the Fall you likely know that September and October are harvest season. Typically starting the second week of September on the North Fork the white wine grapes begin reaching optimal ripeness and harvest season begins!
When the grapes have reached optimal ripeness they are harvested either by machine or by hand depending on the winemaker's preference and brought into the winery. Once they arrive at the winery, the grapes are destemmed and then loaded into the press where all of that delicious grape juice is gently extracted from the grape skins.
Fun Fact: The sugar content in a grape is measured using a system of measurement called "Brix" the higher the brix number, the more sugar in a grape.
Once the grapes have been pressed, the grape juice is pumped into a tank where it is chilled and settled. The settled juice is then racked off any remaining grape pulp and brought back up to temperature to prepare to start the fermentation process. At this point the juice is inoculated with yeast and fermentation begins.
During fermentation the yeast cells consume the naturally occurring sugars in the grape juice. As the yeast consumes the sugar it produces alcohol and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 as it is released creates a protective barrier at the top of the tank, preventing oxygen from coming in contact with the wine. Once all of the sugars have been consumed and converted into alcohol the yeast cells die and precipitate out of the liquid, settling to the bottom of the tank. Once everything has settled, the clear wine is racked (aka transferred) off the solids (aka dead yeast cells) into a new tank where it undergoes the final finishing touches (heat stabilization, cold stabilization, filtering, etc) before it is bottled, chilled and served!
Learn More About Our White Wines
At Suhru we make a number of crisp, bright, dry white wines with each grape variety specifically selected to offer a wonderful compliment to our local cuisine. If you are looking for a big, bold white wine with lots of acidity look no further than our Pinot Grigio! Made in the Italian style, this dry white wine is crisp and refreshing making it an excellent compliment to our local seafood and a perfect wine for sitting by the pool, zipping around the bay, or lounging on the beach!
For a wine with softer flavors leaning into the minerality of the grape our Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent choice! While also an excellent accompaniment to our local seafood and all of the wonderful outdoor activities available to us here on the North Fork, one of our favorite pairings for this wine is a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and fresh local oysters! The brininess of the oysters offers the perfect balance to the soft, subtle fruit flavors and light minerality present in the glass.
Last but certainly not least is our Dry Riesling! Made using fruit grown in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, this fruity white wine offers a dynamic wide range of flavors. Dry Riesling is commonly referred to in the wine world as one of the most versatile food pairing wines because while it has all of the brightness and crispness of a dry white wine it also has a small amount of residual sugar that softens that bright acidity allowing it to compliment a much wider range of foods than your typical white wine. The classic pairing suggestions for Riesling are Asian dishes such as sushi and curries and while both of those are delicious we tend to gravitate towards blackened fish tacos and dry rub BBQ with this wine. It's a great wine to play around with as you'll see as you taste it, every sip holds something slightly different. Happy sipping!